Rebecca Mallinson

I have been deeply shocked by this book. How can we separate Jesus and Christ? This is a heresy from the 2nd century (Gnostic). He disbelieves in the resurrection of the dead and the whole concept of eternal life. Another heresy. I myself am a Franciscan lay missionary. He proudly proclaims a lot of his views as Franciscan, but I do not recognise any of them as coming from the tradition of St Francis of Assisi, which is completely Gospel-based. He attempts to put a line between the Catholic Church and the Franciscans as though the Franciscans are not part of the Church. He attempts to mislead people about the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed, by claiming that the early church was attempting to suppress the earthly life of Jesus by omitting anything between his birth and his death. This is simply not true. The creeds were intended as a sort of Universal Christian anthem to proclaim the truths that were at that time being disputed by various heretical groups. The Gospels were not suppressed at any time and there was therefore no reason to put them into a Creed, as Christ's life on earth has never been disputed. The Church year revolves around Jesus's time on earth including his words and actions. Three incarnations???? What can I say? I could go on indefinitely, but it is pointless. If Richard Rohr wishes to separate himself from the Church, please can he go quietly without turning heresy into schism and attempting to bring both the Catholic Church and the Franciscan Order into disrepute? At least he acknowledges the Real Presence in the Sacrifice of the Altar. I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies.